May 20, 2008	Tuesday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 14, 1429

LONDON, May 19: New Zealand all-rounder Jacob Oram chose the right occasion and the perfect venue to score his first Test century against England on Monday with a match-saving innings in the first Test at Lord’s.

New Zealand held an overall lead of only 78 with four wickets down when wicket-keeper Brendon McCullum retired hurt and was taken to hospital after a blow to his left forearm

Oram found a doughty partner in Daniel Flynn, who had struggled in his first innings debut, but who now batted with grit and intelligence to score 22 in a partnership of 132.

He reached his fifth Test century from 120 balls, accelerating in the second half, when he was bowled for 101 by Ryan Sidebottom.

By then he had taken New Zealand to the safety of a draw after 153.2 overs had been lost to rain and bad light on the first three days.

At the close the Kiwis were for 269 for six with Flynn on 29 and in good heart for the second Test starting at Old Trafford in Manchester on Friday.

New Zealand, who resumed at 40 for no wicket, an overall deficit of two, lost Aaron Redmond for 17 caught at first slip by Andrew Strauss off James Anderson.

James Marshall fell lbw for a duck 17 balls later to Sidebottom and Jamie How was lucky to escape when he was dropped by Strauss off Broad on 46.

How reached his second Test fifty with a slash for four over the slips off Broad and had taken his total to 68 when he was adroitly caught at third slip by Alastair Cook off Broad. Ross Taylor had already departed lbw to Monty Panesar for 20.

McCullum’s departure was the low point for New Zealand but Oram chose it as the moment to take control.

The left-hander used his long reach to negate Panesar’s left-arm spin and relieved the pressure with a sweep off the same bowler for six.

A square-drive off Sidebottom brought up the 50 partnership and when tea was taken at 199 for four, the Kiwis could be reasonably content with their day’s work.

After the interval, Oram thumped Broad through the off-side for four and unwound to smack Kevin Pietersen’s off-spin into the pavilion for his second six. A swept four followed and Sidebottom with the second new ball for once held no terrors.

Oram leaned back to drive a deceptively casual four through the covers to go into the nineties and played a perfectly timed drive off the front foot to the long-off boundary in the same over.

He reached his century from the following ball with a push which sped to the extra-cover boundary.

Oram struck two sixes and 15 fours and his second fifty came from just 53 balls.

McCullum, relieved that an X-ray had revealed no fracture to his arm, returned after Oram’s dismissal to play some attractive shots before he was caught behind for 24. After clouds rolled across the ground the umpires consulted and decided to call play off at 1605GMT.

On Sunday, England captain Michael Vaughan fought a gripping personal duel with his opposite number Daniel Vettori while steering his team to a 42-run first innings lead on the fourth day.

Vaughan scored 106, his 18th Test century, his sixth at Lord’s and his first against the Kiwis, with some delightful shots around the wicket in his team’s 319 all out.

Vettori, who had reduced England to 208 for six with three cheap wickets, finished with five for 69, including the wicket of Vaughan for 106. It was his first five-wicket haul against England, his 14th overall, and took his Test tally to exactly 250.

Vaughan, who averaged only 22.53 against the Kiwis compared to a career figure of 42.47 before the match, drove sweetly through the on-side and greeted Vettori’s return after tea with consecutive fours through mid-off and over mid-on.

He cut Vettori to the third-man boundary for four and late-cut another three off the spinner who up to that time had been treated with the utmost respect by the England batsmen.

Vaughan reached his century by flicking Vettori through mid-wicket for his 11th four to equal former England captain Graham Gooch’s record for Test centuries at Lord’s.

He was finally out with last man James Anderson at the crease, caught on the mid-wicket boundary by James Marshall trying to hit another boundary.

Scoreboard

NEW ZEALAND (1st Innings) 277 (B.B. McCullum 97, D.L. Vettori 48; R.J. Sidebottom 4-55).

ENGLAND (1st Innings):

A.J. Strauss lbw b Oram 63

A.N. Cook c McCullum b Martin 61

M.P. Vaughan c Marshall b Vettori 106

K.P. Pietersen lbw b Vettori 3

I.R. Bell c McCullum b Martin 16

P.D. Collingwood c Taylor b Vettori 6

T.R. Ambrose lbw b Vettori 0

S.C.J. Broad b Oram 25

R.J. Sidebottom c Taylor b Mills 16

M.S. Panesar c Flynn b Vettori 0

J.M. Anderson not out 0

EXTRAS (B-3, LB-7, W-1, NB-12) 23

TOTAL (all out, 111.3 overs) 319

FALL OF WKTS: 1-121, 2-148, 3-152, 4-180, 5-208, 6-208, 7-269, 8-317, 9-318.

BOWLING: Martin 32-8-76-2 (6nb); Mills 22-3-60-1 (6nb); Southee 16-2-59-0; Oram 19-5-45-2 (1w); Vettori 22.3-4-69-5.

NEW ZEALAND (2nd Innings, overnight 40-0):

J.M. How c Cook b Broad 68

A.J. Redmond c Strauss b Anderson 17

J.A.H. Marshall lbw b Sidebottom 0

L.R.P.L. Taylor lbw b Panesar 20

B.B. McCullum c Ambrose b Anderson 24

D.R. Flynn not out 29

J.D.P. Oram b Sidebottom 101

D.L. Vettori not out 0

EXTRAS (B-4, LB-5, NB-1) 10

TOTAL (for six wkts, 86.2 overs) 269

FALL OF WKTS: 1-47, 2-52, 3-99, 4-115, 5-252, 6-269.

BOWLING: Sidebottom 21.2-4-65-2; Anderson 19-5-64-2; Broad 17-4-54-1 (1nb); Panesar 24-8-56-1; Pietersen 5-0-21-0.

RESULT: Match drawn.

UMPIRES: S.A. Bucknor (West Indies) and S.J.A. Taufel (Australia).

TV UMPIRE: N.J. Llong (England).

MATCH REFEREE: R.S. Madugalle (Sri Lanka).

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Daniel Vettori.

SECOND TEST: Old Trafford, May 23-27.

THIRD TEST: Trent Bridge, June 5-9.

—Reuters